MadameNoire
Source: The Washington Post / Getty
In the Black community, Black women are the matriarchs. The problem solvers. The providers. The protectors. The storytellers. They don’t only fulfill these roles for their families, but also their communities. This year’s Urban One Honors recipients have channeled these qualities in order for them to become game changers in their fields and they have been the backbone of groundbreaking things that are happening behind the scenes.
Honorees Stacey Abrams and Alderwoman Robin Rue Simmons have been dedicated to fighting against discriminatory practices that hide behind legislation. Abrams exposed Georgia bills that supported voter suppression in Black communities. Through the New Georgia Project and Fair Fight, brought awareness to to voter suppression and helped register over 800,000 Georgians to vote. Alderwoman Simmons proposed a reparation plan that made Evanston, Illinois the first city to approve reparations for Black residents who suffered the effects of housing discrimination in the city from 1919 to 1969. Thanks to Simmons, eligible Black families will receive a total $10 million over the next 10 years.
Robin Rue Simmons Source: Chicago Tribune / Getty
Dr. Ala Stanford and Walgreens CEO Rosalind Brewer have been major problem solvers during the COVID-19 pandemic. When Dr. Stanford saw that Black people were dying at alarming rates from the novel virus and also didn’t have access to COVID-19 tests in her hometown of Philadelphia, she took matters into her own hands. With her own money, she bought COVID-19 tests and called on her colleagues to help provide testing in underserved communities. She then founded the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, which was the first mobile testing program in Philadelphia, to continue providing free tests in communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Brewer, who is currently the only Black woman leading a Fortune 500 company, stepped to the helm of Walgreens during the pandemic in January 2020 and was faced with the task of making sure the COVID-19 vaccine was effectively provided. As of March 2021, two months into Brewer’s time as CEO, Walgreens has introduced mobile vaccine clinics and administered approximately five million COVID-19 vaccinations at long-term care facilities, in its stores, and through its vaccination clinics.
Rosalind Brewer Source: Patrick McMullan / Getty
Honoree Nikole Hannah Jones has pushed her pen to bring awareness to issues like racism, politics, segregation amongst schools and housing and many other topics while writing for different publications in cities like Raleigh, Oregon and New York City. Jones, a 2020 Pulitzer-Prize winning New York Times journalist, saw that schools across the country don’t make it a priority to delve into the complex history of slavery so she examined the legacy of slavery and retold the story of our ancestors through the 1619 Project. Jones and other writers identified how it still affects us beyond its 400- year existence through a series of written works and photo essays.
Nikole Hannah Jones Source: Brent N. Clarke / Getty
Kim R. Ford is one of Washington D.C’s hometown heroes. Ford took on the role as the CEO and president of Martha’s Table, a non-profit that provides food, clothing, early childhood services and after-school assistance to families in need, during the pandemic. During such a turbulent time for not only the economy but for families, Ford, a former Obama administration official who helped revitalize the economy, was able to handle the increase in demand for more resources. Under her leadership, Martha’s Table went from distributing 500 bags of food a day to 2,000 bags a day.
With this year’s theme of “Women Leading the Change,” Urban One Honors is paying homage to trailblazing Black women. There are so many detrimental images and stereotypes about Black women that it is essential to continue breaking them down and highlighting women of color and their exemplary accomplishments. Black women often experience discriminatory conditions that make them feel devalued when they have actually done so many extraordinary things despite the odds against them. Black women have a rich history of leadership that deserves to be revered because they have thrived while fighting against systems of oppression. All of these women’s accomplishments not only show their resilience but their powerfulness and their ability to preservere and innovate despite any barriers in their way.
